How Government Works

County Charter

Prince George's County Government is proud to offer some of the best services in the nation to its residents. An organization chart (PDF) is provided to show you the various levels of County government.

The Charter of Prince George's County provides for a Council/Executive form of government; therefore, the County is composed of the Executive and Legislative branches. The Judicial Branch consists of the County's Circuit Court, the state District Court, the Court of Special Appeals and Court of Appeals.

The Executive Branch

The Executive Branch implements and enforces the laws of Prince George's County and provides executive direction to the government. Its chief executive officer is the County Executive. Over 30 executive branch departments and agencies help to deliver services to County residents. Libraries, Public Works and Transportation, and Police are just a few.

The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch consists of the County Council. All legislative powers of the County are vested in the County Council. In addition, the County Council sits as the District Council on zoning and land use matters, and as the Board of Health on health policy matters.

The Judicial Branch

The Judicial Branch is responsible for the resolution of all matters involving civil and criminal law in the County. The Circuit Court for Prince George's County is the trial Court of general jurisdiction that has full common law equity powers in all civil and criminal cases, along with additional powers and jurisdiction conferred by the Constitution. It is the only court in the County having the authority to conduct jury trials. Its jurisdiction is very broad and it handles major civil cases and more serious criminal cases. Additionally, there is the District Court of Maryland, the Court of Special Appeals, and the Court of Appeals.

County Schools

The Chief Executive Officer provides daily administration of the Prince George's County Public Schools and the County Executive and County Council determine the schools' overall operating and capital budgets; however, the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Education set the line-item distribution of the funds within the school system.

The Prince George's County Memorial Library is to promote and make available library resources that will fill the lifelong learning needs of individuals and groups in Prince George's County.

Prince George's Community College, the County's 2-year college, operates under the authority of the Board of Trustees. The College's overall budget is determined by the County Executive and the County Council, and is managed by the Trustees.

Other Agencies

Four other agencies have budgets that are determined by the County government while retaining certain autonomy over their operations. They are:

• The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency which manages public parkland and provides land use planning with administration shared with Montgomery County.
• The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is also a bicounty agency, which provides water and sewer service to Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
• The Department of Housing and Community Development is the County's public housing authority.
• In addition, the County budget includes appropriations to participate in debt service and operating costs of the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA), which is overseen by the Washington Suburban Transit Commissions (WSTC).

Municipal Governments

Within Prince George's County, there are twenty-seven municipalities. To view a list of these municipalities go to About Prince George's County.

State Government Contacts

For a guide on Maryland government and state agencies, go to Maryland Manual Online.

If you can't find the information you need, be sure to contact us.